Dronfield Station relocation

[pro4600]

A couple of articles in the local press about the possible relocation of Dronfield Station. I hope it won't be necessary. The only other place I can think they could move it to would be along side the station car park.

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/business/business-news/station-could-be-relocated-1-6928995

 

[edwin_m]

The link says if they lower the track the platforms would be too high - well I think there's an obvious solution to that.

Is the problem more that the river that was mentioned makes it difficult to lower the track? The OS map suggests it is in a culvert somewhere under the stations. It is also possible that clearances would be OK for the wires to get under the bridge, but in breach of standards for the distance between the wires and a platform edge.

 

[IanD]

The link says if they lower the track the platforms would be too high - well I think there's an obvious solution to that.

Is the problem more that the river that was mentioned makes it difficult to lower the track? The OS map suggests it is in a culvert somewhere under the stations. It is also possible that clearances would be OK for the wires to get under the bridge, but in breach of standards for the distance between the wires and a platform edge.

I think that's what the Friend's bloke is saying - if the platforms are too high the station will need to be rebuilt. He doesn't say anyhting about moving it. The only other source quoted in the atricle says there are no plans in place so it's not clear where the idea of moving the station comes from apart from the journlist's own imagination.

 

[40907]

If lowering the tracks under the Lea Road bridge, which is immediately North of the station, was necessary, the problem might be the culverts under the station which carry the River Drone on a meandering course. The river crosses under the station site twice. The river also crosses under the railway twice further north, beyond the Soaper Lane bridge. (The original Soaper Lane bridge was replaced in the 1970's, but I wonder if Wreakes Lane bridge is time expired. It is an original structure, and nowadays carries much more road traffic than even in the 1950's and 60's.)
At the station site I suppose it depends on what existing clearance there is between the trackbed and the roof of the culverts, however these culverts would have been constructed in the late 1860's when the line was originally built, so are probably stone built with arched roofs, so it might be possible to re-roof them in some modern form with concrete beams, and so achieve the lowering, if indeed required. Also since the days of steam the trackbed must have been raised to accommodate canting of the track on the curve North of the station, because both the platforms ( or at least the "down" platform) and the station footbridge have been raised.
Having lived in Dronfield for many years I am struggling to think of an alternative site for the platforms if relocation became a necessity.
Does look though as though the "Star" article might be indulging in an element of speculation.

40907

 

[edwin_m]

Also since the days of steam the trackbed must have been raised to accommodate canting of the track on the curve North of the station, because both the platforms ( or at least the "down" platform) and the station footbridge have been raised.

This could just have been raising the platforms to reduce the stepping distance, as most older platforms were well below the height of new ones. Is the stepping distance particularly bad? And if significant work was done on the footbridge (wasn't it renewed recently?) then it might have been raised to electrification height with the designers not realising there were other problems or deciding they should be solved by someone else. It certainly seems to have had a raised parapet which would be required for electrification.

 

[oddiesjack]

Would it not be possible to build a brand new culvert for the river in a straighter line, purely to the east of the railway line and completely do away with all four of the culverts/bridges in the vicinity of Dronfield station?

 

[pro4600]

Would it not be possible to build a brand new culvert for the river in a straighter line, purely to the east of the railway line and completely do away with all four of the culverts/bridges in the vicinity of Dronfield station?

I remember in the past the culverts being a problem and causing flooding, but that doesn't seem to have been a problem for a few years now.

 

[edwin_m]

I remember in the past the culverts being a problem and causing flooding, but that doesn't seem to have been a problem for a few years now.

If the track needs lowering this might worsen the flood risk.

 

[40907]

Some further information has come my way, courtesy of a letter in the "Dronfield Eye" magazine, sent to me by my Sister who still lives in Dronfield.
Rather than press speculation, it appears the story originates from a recent meeting between Network rail and interested parties, ie "Friends of Dronfield Station", and local and County councils.
If the listed structure Lea Road Bridge, immediately north of the station has a clearance issue, and given its massive stone construction I would think it would be difficult to alter, and very expensive to rebuild, so lowering the track bed
might be an option.
However Network Rail say detailed survey work for electrification is not due to start on this stretch of line until next year, so I suspect they are not yet able to start looking at detailed engineering solutions in the Dronfield area.

It remains to be seen if the River Drone culverts under the station are an issue. Certainly from my recollection the culvert is well below track level as it stands at present, and diverting it away from the station is likely to be a non-starter because after the river's "first pass" under the station there is a dyke arrangement where the Lea Brook joins the Drone.

However this " river under the railway" issue starts south of the Wreakes Lane bridge, past what was the Lucas shovel works site, (now inevitably a supermarket) then crosses to the West of the line, before returning to the Eastern side of the track still underground, past the site of an iron foundry, (now a garden/open space) before emerging under the side of the aforementioned Lea Road bridge.
This bridge is a complicated structure. Immediately it has crossed the railway to the east it turns through 90 degrees onto a substantial arched ramp, of around 150 metres, with the river below, to take the road down to join the main road through the valley.

I suspect NR will want to look at the whole stretch of railway/river before coming up with a solution.

In response to the previous poster, the water level in the Drone is more managed now, after the building of a holding reservoir at Bowshaw, to manage the rainfall run-off from a housing estate at Lowedges. The last serious flooding of Dronfield town centre and the railway trackbed by the Drone was in 1957.